Newstalk Breakfast

Large energy bills are unavoidable for households this winter and government will have to act to introduce support. That was the warning from Environment Minister Eamon Ryan yesterday Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Lisa Ryan, Professor in Energy Economics at the UCD School of Economics and the UCD Energy Institute, and also Darren O'Rourke Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Climate Action, Communications Netw...

 Taxi fares will rise by an average of 12% from today, marking the first increase for cab drivers since 2018. But are these fare hikes necessary? To discuss, Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Neale Richmond, Fine Gael TD, and Jim Waldron, Spokesperson for the National Private Hire & Taxi Association.

A protest took place last night in Dublin’s North Inner City calling on the Dublin City Council to renovate derelict homes. The protest was located outside 2 derelict properties owned by the City Council located on Connaught Street which is located just 2km from O’Connell Street in the heart of Dublin City Centre. Shane headed along to Connaught Street last night to find out why exactly people wer...

Major western leaders are totally unprepared for a new age of great-power rivalries and are fuelling tensions with Eastern Powers. That’s according to Frank Furedi the Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent and author of the upcoming book “The Road to Ukraine: How the West Lost its Way” who spoke to Shane this morning on the show.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has revealed that judges will be able to set minimum tariffs for life sentences of up to 30 years for the most serious crimes. As part of the plans set to be brought forward in the coming weeks, the Minister said she also wants fewer petty offenders to go to prison. Saoirse Brady Executive Director of Irish Penal Reform Trust spoke to Ciara this morning on the sh...

On this day 25 years ago the world mourned the loss of a Princess. Princess Diana was 37 when she was killed in a car accident in Paris. Former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Ireland has a new world champion! Sligo native Ceola McGowan has become the women's World Axe Throwing Champion in Canada in recent days and Ceola joined Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Mickail Gorbachev, the final leader of the Soviet Union and the man widely regarded as ending the Cold War has died at the age of 91. Dr Shane O’Rourke, Senior Lecturer in Modern Russian History in the University of York joined Newstalk Breakfast to look at the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris has today launched a new plan that will aim to drive equality of access to higher education. The new plan comes ahead of the return of students to colleges and universities in the coming weeks. And Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris

Over-the-counter sleeping aids may be ‘too easy’ to get and become an issue when used for too long by those desperate for a quick fix to a much deeper issue. That’s the opinion of Health Scientist and Sleep Coach, Tom Coleman who spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Last week on the show we debated single-sex schools and whether they have a place in society today. Teacher, Assistant Principal and Aontu Spokesperson on Education, Eric Nelligan put the counterargument forward to Shane this morning on the show.

The government faces a delicate balancing act managing high inflation, protecting poorer households, and delivering major policies - so says the Irish Fiscal Advisory council who have today released their pre-budget statement The Chairperson at the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, Sebastian Barnes spoke to Ciara this morning on the show.

Government leaders met yesterday evening to discuss Ireland’s impending energy crisis. Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue joins us now live from Japan where he is on a trade mission.

Local authorities across the State are owed almost €105 million in unpaid rent, with 285 social housing tenants having arrears in excess of €20,000 each. That’s according to new figures compiled by The Irish Times, which also reveal that Dublin City Council, the largest local authority, is owed the highest amount of arrears at over 38 million euro. David McManus is a Fine Gael Councillor for Rathf...

More than 7,000 births were registered as outside marriage or civil partnership in the country, accounting for 43.6 percent of all births in the first quarter of the year. That’s according to the latest CSO stats. So, have we lost sight of the importance of marriage? For more on this Ciara spoke to Broadcaster & Columnist Wendy Grace.

Julia Fox has sparked a debate about parenting, after encouraging adults to get their children cleaning tools instead of toys. In a video posted to her TikTok on Monday, the model and actress that, “everyone buy their kid a mini-mop and mini-broom and start teaching them those life skills really young, so when they enter the real world they don’t have to outsource for everything.” Parenting Expert...

Thousands of deepfake porn pics and videos using the faces of innocent Irish victims are being circulated online this has been reported in the Irish Mirror. Dan Purcell, Founder, and CEO, Ceartas DMCA explained what a deepfake is?

Ireland’s impending energy crisis will be the focus of the Committee on Environment and Climate Action today as the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, the grid operator EirGrid, and Climate Minister Eamon Ryan come before it. Green Party TD Brian Leddin is the chair of the committee and spoke to Shane this morning on the show.

Fast-spreading false widow spiders are up to 230 times more venomous than domestic Irish species. So found new research from NUI Galway which sheds light on the widows’ rapid spread across the country. Eanna Ní Lamhna a wildlife expert and author of the forthcoming book Wild and Wonderful joined Jonathan Healy and Ciara Kelly on the show.

Mobile network Vodafone is to refund customers €2 million. Between now and February of next year after charges were imposed on inactive accounts. Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Ciara on the show.

70 percent of road deaths this year happened on rural roads with a speed limit of 80km/h, according to new figures from An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority. The figures show that one-third of fatalities were of people aged 35 or younger, while over four in ten were people aged 60 and above. Motoring Editor of The Sunday Independent - Geraldine Herbert joined Jonathan Healy on the show.

This week kids big and small will be packing their bags and heading back to school, as primary and secondary schools open their doors for the beginning of the academic year. Norma Foley, Minister for Education joined Ciara Kelly on the show.

Dublin’s tallest building’ has been proposed for the site of the former City Arts Centre. Twenty-four-storey, office-led scheme to reach 108m and include artists’ studios, workshops, and exhibition space in a nod to the property’s history. Author, Journalist and former Environment Editor of The Irish Times, Frank McDonald spoke to Jonathan Healy on the show.

 NASA set to take their first steps towards sending man back to the moon for the first time since 1972. NASA is now hoping to return people to the moon for the first time since 1972 with an unmanned mission set to launch today ahead of a manned mission in 2025. David Moore Chairman of Astronomy Ireland and Editor of Astronomy Ireland Magazine spoke to Ciara on the show.

Irish Water has announced that it is introducing a hosepipe ban in West Cork for the next 4 weeks. The utility body says it is closely monitoring the situation in the rest of the country. Margaret Attridge, Spokesperson for Irish Water spoke to Ciara on the show.